CALIFORNIA — Children’s author and Kid Curious founder T.W. Dahlin has joined the World Literacy Foundation’s Sun Books: Global Children’s Library as an Author Patron with Curiositree, an uplifting picture book that invites children and the adults who read with them to slow down, stay curious, and rediscover the wonder all around them.
Dahlin’s love of words and storytelling began in childhood, nurtured by comic books, stories such as Where the Wild Things Are, and the children’s television series Reading Rainbow. The public library was his castle for exploring worlds unknown, and he marveled at the sheer number of books, words, and worlds gathered in one place. He later began his career at Disney, where he was inspired by master storytellers and visionaries and saw up close the power of storytelling to stir imagination, shape perspective, and create lasting memories through shared experiences.
Curiositree took root years later, during Dahlin’s first season as a father. Reading to his children gave him an invigorated view of the role stories play in development: they can teach and inspire, engage minds young and old, and deepen the relationship between a child and the parent, caregiver, or reader beside them. Told in warm rhyme and brought to life through vivid illustrations, Curiositree follows a boy and his tree through an imaginative reflection on play, presence, gratitude, and the importance of remaining curious. Written primarily for children in kindergarten through third grade, its invitation to notice life more fully reaches well beyond a single age group.
Dahlin’s commitment to literacy access grew from watching his own children—adopted from Haiti—encounter books in a way they had not previously experienced. He saw in real time as books helped them learn a new language, build confidence as readers, and gain access to worlds that had once been beyond their reach. That experience made literacy personal and ultimately led to his connection with the World Literacy Foundation.
“Being part of the Global Children’s Library gives Curiositree the opportunity to reach children in languages and communities around the world. Making stories accessible to children in their own language is essential to inclusion and connection—and to helping every child feel that books, and all the worlds within them, are meant for them.” — T.W. Dahlin, author of Curiositree
The Sun Books: Global Children’s Library combines the World Literacy Foundation’s international literacy mission with technology from Hello Computer, Inc. and its publishing division, StoryTime International Press. Through multilingual digital experiences—including translation and read-aloud capabilities in up to 137 languages—participating books can reach children and families across linguistic and geographic boundaries.
The Global Children’s Library has an ongoing international call for children’s authors interested in having their work considered for the initiative and joining its growing community of Author Patrons.
About T.W. Dahlin
T.W. Dahlin is a Mission Viejo, California-based children’s author and founder of Kid Curious, a children’s publishing company and creative playground for emerging authors and artists. His picture book Curiositree uses playful rhyme and a vivid relationship between a boy and his tree to invite readers to protect their curiosity, exercise their imaginations, appreciate the time they have, and pay closer attention to the wonder of the world around them. Dahlin has three additional children’s books currently in production. Readers can follow @kidcuriousbooks to connect and stay tuned for new releases.
About the Global Children’s Library
The Sun Books: Global Children’s Library is an initiative of the World Literacy Foundation, created in partnership with Hello Computer, Inc. and StoryTime International Press to expand access to engaging children’s literature and help stories reach young readers across languages, cultures, and borders.